Cowboy Bebop:Second Season:Hell's Heaven
by ImageEmpress
Summary: All your favorite characters return in the second season as I have imagined it! This first episode introduces a new character, trying to fill the place where Spike once was. A must-read! R&R, please!
1. Hell's Heaven

Cowboy Bebop: "Hell's Heaven"  
  
"It's been a while," Jet Black announced to no one in particular- maybe to the people he watched on the television, who were doing a newscast on a subject he really didn't care about. 'It's been a while since we've really gotten on with the chase,' he thought while waiting, determined, for Faye to catch her prey.  
  
Faye Valentine weaved in and out of the rows of ten-foot piled-high crates set up in the warehouse. It was only dimly lit by the slivers of moonlight that were sent down through the windows set high up in the concrete walls. She had a gun out, ready to pounce on a bounty worth some desperately needed money. She had always found it funny how certain situations could stick you with unwanting people. That's the way she had found herself around Jet, even when Spike was still alive. Now, Spike's death had caused them to team up as bounty hunters. It used to be Spike that would get Jet's assignments and do the dirty work, though sometimes Jet would step in the mud, too, but now Faye took that place. She missed her usual chipping in whenever she wanted to. It was all too strange, personally, for her taste. A crate dislodged from one of the rows a few feet in front of her. "Stupid man, you just gave your position away. Not to mention, you have bad aim," Faye muttered as she took off in his direction. They could have easily played cat and mouse until he had gotten to the garage door, which was where he seemed to be headed when he found she had turned the corner of his aisle. Her shots rang out but missed as he ran to the other side. She ran about twenty paces behind but managed to keep up with him until he reached the garage door and shut it behind him. She panted with as much air as she could muster, giving herself a little break to look for the keypad. Once found, she clicked the big glowing red button into place and waited for the door to come up. She dodged under only to find herself in an alleyway where she could hear a car taking off on the main road. She hurtled herself after it and swung around the corner, gun aimed only to be fired at by several men inside the vehicle. Knowing she was outnumbered and that she would never be able to catch up with them in time, Faye turned and kicked the wall, cursing, "Aah, shit!"  
  
"I'm starved! Don't we have any food?" Faye moaned, tying her red shirt in a knot at the bottom, letting it hang loosely on her shoulders and patting her stomach as she relaxed on the couch. "No, because we have no money," Jet answered, adamantly. "What?" she asked, defensively. "I'm not the only one to blame here." "Listen, missy," Jet pointed a finger at her, angrily. "It's your fault we're low on money and are left with grumbling stomachs. You know I can't hunt down bounties as well as you can." He patted his damaged arm. "Starvation sure makes people crabby." She didn't mention the fact that he had never used his metallic arm as an excuse before. Why not think of another way to make money so we can get by during these times?" she wondered, carelessly. "Like what?" he said, considering the thought carefully. "We could sell Spike's ship," she bit her tongue. That was their last remaining reminder of the one who had affected both of their lives so much-even though they couldn't admit it. The awkward silence between them was broken by Jet's remark. "It's not like he'll be needing it. For once, Faye, I think you might actually have a good idea."  
  
The Swordfish II had been salvaged from Mars. It was named after the high-speed combat it was built for. Somewhere stashed inside had been a certificate saying to give it to Jet Black if owner was not found. The owner hadn't been found. Now, they were selling the red-painted ship outside a casino on Venus. So far, no buyers. Some honeymooners had stopped by, completely drunk, saying they had just been married by Elvis. Unfortunately, they had practically no money. Next, a hot rod teenager stopped by, loving the look of the ride, hoping people would judge him because of it, but never bought it because his mother came along. There were many onlookers but hardly anybody needed a ship designed for fighting.  
  
Except for one stranger.  
  
Jesse Chiaroscuro flipped the remaining poker chips he hadn't gotten a chance to use, and spun them out on the tiled floor behind him. He heard some large thuds and grunts of pain behind him. He kept on running, weaving in and out of the strangers grouped together in the lobby and then outside. They were crowded around a large object, big, red, scratched and looming. A ship-and not just any ship. One that he could possibly use. He ran forward, reaching it, and the young woman exhibiting it. "Are you selling this ship?" he rushed up to her. "Yes, for only 350 K!" she sounded all excited and it vibrated into her movements. "350 K? That much for that scrap?" "Aah, but it purrs like a happy kitten," she cooed. He glanced behind him and said, "I'll take it." He pulled out some cash and handed it to her. "Where are the keys?" "Right here," she dangled it from the tips of her fingers but brought it back down before he could grab it. "This is 30,000 wulong. I'm not sure I have the change," she told him nervously. "Keep the change." "But." "Listen, sweetheart, I gotta run." She handed him the key. "Where are you off to in a hurry?" she asked and spun to see he had already turned the ignition.  
  
"I'm helping you this time." "What? You don't trust me to get the job done?" Faye pouted, innocently. She was back on the Bebop, Jet's ship, with quite a chump of change in her hand. "30,000 wulong a piece," Jet muttered, digesting the amount and the information that followed. They were watching a show, Big Shot 2, designed to be viewed by bounty hunters, giving out new names and rewards. The original Big Shot had been cancelled for one reason or another, but they brought it back on the air with the original hosts. The theme of the show was the "Old West," since "cowboy" was used as slang for a bounty hunter's occupation in this day and age. "Their names are Raphael and Antonio Reostroni," the African American with the fuzzy hair said. "Those bad boys stole an antidote, the only one for the deadly disease Facefear," his female costar with blonde hair said, all spooked. "They sure did. Scary stuff, that Facefear. Now, Raphael and Antonio are fraternal twins, you see. They think alike. That's all the bounties we have for you today, folks." "Have fun, cowboys," she blew them a kiss and static filled the nearly broken television set. "That's sick," Jet spewed. "Steal a cure so more can die." He looked back at Faye. "This isn't going to be easy."  
  
"You let them go!" Jet roared. "I didn't have a choice! They threatened me with the disease!" Jet furrowed his brow at this. "How could they contain it?" His man from the ISSP leaned forward. Jet had connections from the days when he was in the galaxy police force. "They made it." "What?"  
  
Faye heard soft mumbling. Indistinct. She slowed her pace, hoping to go unnoticed in her bright yellow clothing. "I thought you'd be a woman. Who was that I spoke to?" It was a sharp, harsh female voice. "It was a trusted friend. If anyone else was on the line, they wouldn't expect me either." Faye froze. This person sounded so familiar. Who was he? She frowned, a crease setting in between her eyes as she strained to remember. His collar was flipped up around his chin. She saw only the back of him. Silence. As if the source was trying to decide whether or not to reveal needed information. Faye shook away the clouds in her head and concentrated on the conversation. Whoever it was was getting away with her source. She couldn't interrupt now because the source might split. She'd hear what she needed to hear and catch this mystery guy afterwards with a little surprise. "The last I heard from the twins, they said they were to be a part of that musical festival going on in town. They'll be doing that until they can figure out all the mixtures in the cure, and get rid of it. They're setting up in the center of town tonight." The stranger slipped the source some wulongs and they departed. Faye followed the stranger secretively. At least, she didn't have to pay the source. The mysterious man walked swiftly with purpose, out of the door and into the street. Faye was stopped before she could take the same path. "Hey, sexy," a big, burly man said to her. "Ugh, get out of my way," she shoved past him, but by the time she should have caught up with the stranger, he was no longer there. She spun around, unaware that he was watching her from the roof of the building. She ran to the center of town.  
  
It wasn't hard to find the bounty. The twins used the technique of hiding in plain view. Unfortunately, they should have been careful to whom they voiced their whereabouts. They were skinny, pathetically so, and didn't look very strong. Jesse approached Antonio first. He pulled out a gun and held it to the man's back. He dropped the box with wires to hook up instruments and microphones on the ground. "You're coming with me. Where's your twin?" Suddenly, he felt a sharp jab in his upper arm. "You don't want Facefear, do you?" a man said behind him. He figured it was Raphael. "Let my brother go." "Go ahead, stick me. Once I'm through taking you scum to the police, I'll have the cure in my hands. And don't tell me you don't have the cure-- guaranteed, it's probably in a place I don't want to reach--because you're not stupid enough to leave it out of realm of your grasp." He spun around, breaking the needle in his arm, and had them both in a matter of seconds. "You!" someone gasped. It was the pretty woman who had sold him the ship. "Yeah.me," he replied, evenly. Faye recognized that smooth-talking voice now. "You got away with my source and now my bounty." She rested her hands on her hips. "Next time, you might want to put your name on it." The two men were wriggling in his strong hands. "Faye Valentine." She raised an eyebrow. "I've got an idea. Why don't you team up with me? Every bounty we catch, we'll split the money sixty-forty. Of course, I get the sixty percent." "Fifty-fifty." Her face dropped. She was surprised he was even considering her offer. She didn't give herself enough credit. "But this bounty's all mine." "Great! I'll just come with you back to the Bebop!" She clasped her hands together. For once, he smiled. A half smile, but good enough. 


	2. Twisted Angel

"Twisted Angel" Cowboy Bebop: Season Two: Episode Two  
  
Disclaimer: Any characters or storylines from the first season are not mine to claim. However, everything else belongs to ME!  
  
Back on the Bebop, Jet eyed the new guy suspiciously and glanced at Faye wearily. "What'd you say your name was again?" "Jesse Chiaroscuro, sir." Jet nodded. "You have some big shoes to fill, Jesse, literally. Our last partner had huge feet." The viewing screen kicked to life, revealing a beautiful young woman in her early twenties. "Is Jess here?" "Who are you?" Jet asked sharply. He had a tendency not to trust pretty faces. "I'm not going back, Naomi," Jesse got up from the stairs and walked into her vision. "I wouldn't want you to." His face loosened up from his tight scowl. "I want to join you. You know I hated that place just as much as you did, if not more." He looked at Jet. Jet sighed and nodded. "I'll let you in," Jesse told her.  
  
"Who is she?" Faye asked in quiet tones of Jet. "Her name's Naomi Ritz. Faye, I don't like this one bit. They're talking about an Angel Dark, Demon Bright syndicate. They both belonged to it. Hell, her father owns the place. Out of the millions of people swarming the galaxy, you couldn't find one who didn't belong to a syndicate? Who didn't carry his past around with him wherever he went?" That was the way Spike had gotten himself killed. When Faye didn't answer, he continued, "She wants him to help her take down the syndicate, ruin Daddy's business. You know what this means, don't you?" Faye shook her head. "We can't get attached to any of them." "I wouldn't say I ever got really attached to Spike." "You don't have to lie anymore, Faye. He's dead." Jet said the last part a little harshly. They watched Jesse and Naomi talking on the couch from a distance. Jet had his arms crossed; one made of metal caused by an accident with the ISSP, and Faye had a towel wrapped around her wet hair from taking a shower. Faye looked down to watch the drops from the pieces of hair that the towel didn't quite cover hit the floor.  
  
The day was quiet and brilliantly lit. Clouds weren't around to conceal the warmth the earth felt. Jesse and Naomi were walking down a quiet alley of the terra formed Mars in search of the next bounty. Suddenly, Naomi was walking alone. She turned, her fiery red hair whip lashing around her neck. There was a knife bearing down on her. She crossed her forearms quickly, holding back the arms of the person who bore the weapon a few inches away from her face. The other person's fist came up from the side and hit her hard in the head, knocking her unconscious.  
  
Terra Suoiret flipped on the video camera and the hidden microphones. Naomi had implanted them in the ISSP, the galaxy police force, six months ago as an assignment from her father. Naomi's father wanted Terra to remain as secretive as possible since she was a better weapon against rival syndicates that way. These cameras kept an eye on the ISSP to make sure that this happened. Interestingly enough, the ISSP were uncovering footage of her. She zoomed in, a frown crossing her hardened face. She was in one of those rival syndicates, one of the twelve she had destroyed during her career. Her image was unclear but it was obvious in the blurred image that she was a woman. The ISSP wasn't supposed to have this information. They wouldn't be able to decipher anymore but, still, it brought worry to her. The Angel Dark, Demon Bright syndicate should have deleted this tape, so there would only be static viewed. Some one wasn't doing their job. She wondered if her syndicate wasn't deliberately feeding the police information about her. Her decision was instant. She clicked off the video camera and walked over to the girl handcuffed to a metal ring in the floor. The girl looked up fiercely, not noticing what Terra was doing. "What'd you do with Jesse?" she charged, accusingly. "Gave him a bump on the head. You're free to go." The girl looked up at her, confused. "You've helped me before without knowing it. Now, it's my turn to help you. Go. And don't ask questions." Terra nodded towards the door. The girl stood up and left, never expecting to see her again. She knew how these things worked. She knew it was a blessing in disguise.  
  
Jean Ritz shook his wife furiously. "Where is your daughter?" he yelled enraged. "I don't know!" she screamed back, tears threatening to fall, even though she stood defiantly. "If she's smart, she's far away from here!" Jean looked at his wife, gripping her arms so tightly that his stubby nails began to dig into her dark skin. Their daughter was a spitting image of her mother and it just brought more fire to his eyes. "You taught her to be independent, didn't you? Taught her to follow her own free will? Taught her to be just like you and fight her father all the way?" He took one step closer to her and spat in her face. "She will learn the punishment for doing so, just as you will."  
  
Faye met her at a dance show in a casino. The information on the bounty said the murderer targeted pretty women and usually found them as showgirls. She sat down next to her in the back row. They were, practically, the only women in the audience. "I tried to be a showgirl once," Faye muttered to her, "but I wasn't graceful enough." "You look the part," the woman replied, "but, then again, appearances can be deceiving." Faye chuckled. "You are right about that!" she said, cheerfully. She looked around. "You're the only other female in this audience besides me, so we must have something in common. Did you try to be a dancer once?" The woman laughed a hoarse laugh. Faye knew it was a foolish question but she was grasping for straws. "They wouldn't take me because I was too ugly." It was true. Her face was half melted, running like wax from a burning candle on the left side. The eye was practically closed shut on that side. But her other side was untouched. Perfectly flawless. She looked much older than Faye with shoulder-length curly brunette hair and sad eyes. "What happened?" Faye asked, sorrow in her voice.  
  
"Fire." She would say nothing more. Faye watched the dancers get in a line and lift their legs in synchronized kicks. "Would you like to come back to my ship with me for a drink? We could maybe talk a little more and then I could drop you off back here." The woman smiled and reached out her hand. "Joann." "Faye." She took her hand and shook it once. "It sounds like a fine idea."  
  
Jet had left the Bebop near the casino where Faye was searching while he made a visit to the grocery store to pick up a few items. Salvaging Spike's ship had ended up as a nice reward, after all, instead of serving as a reminder of their late partner.  
  
'This is a stupid idea,' Faye told herself. She was inviting a cold- blooded killer to a place where there would only be the two of them. This murderer had premeditated actions, right down to the very weapon. Why was she dong this? Faye knew the answer. She wanted Joann to go after her. She wanted to know why Joann killed only pretty women. They were walking to the living room of the Bebop now. Joann was behind her. Suddenly, she couldn't feel the icy solidity of her gun being held by the back of her shorts. 'Joann must have taken it,' was her last thought before she felt the butt of her weapon collide with her head.  
  
Faye awoke, numbly rolling her head from shoulder to shoulder. She couldn't move her feet. They were tied tightly around the bottom of a chair. Her hands were being finished behind her. "Joann," she croaked out, trying to roll away the immense pain in her head. "Do you know why I cut my victims with a diamond knife?" Faye didn't answer. Her eyes were clenched shut tightly. "Yes, I'm going to kill you, Faye. See, the diamond is beautiful and alluring but, also, cold and hard. Like I said, appearances can be deceiving. Every pretty girl becomes cold and hard, just like I did. Well, I got my punishment. My ugliness on the inside was revealed on the outside. Now, it's your turn." She brought the crudely-made knife down into Faye's shoulder, cutting into her, deep. "Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"  
  
Naomi aimed and shot. Joann went down. She gazed at Naomi, hurt. "You're both so beautiful. Too beautiful." "You just shot the bounty, didn't you?" Jet asked, coming in after her with a sack of groceries and eating an apple.  
  
Faye and Joann were ushered to the hospital hurriedly. Faye would stay overnight and Joann would live. The group collected their bounty and headed back to the Bebop, letting Faye rest. Jesse was there when they arrived, his arms resting on his knees and his head hanging loosely from his neck. "I couldn't find her," he said, pitifully. "Don't be so down on yourself," Naomi told him, hyped up. He lifted his head; his gaze falling on her. His grin couldn't be bigger. He jumped up, turning his smile into a stern look and asked, "What happened?" She slid onto the top of the couch and brought her legs over to the other side. "It was a she, with long brown hair. She let me go." "What?" "Yeah, she said I've helped her before so she was returning the favor. She also said not to ask questions." She knitted her small brows together. "I don't remember her. I don't remember helping her at all."  
  
"You know what I've noticed about this crew?" Naomi entered the living room where Jet was watching television, flipping through channels of endless boredom. "What?" he grumbled. "Everyone does their own thing. No one ever really mingles." "No one wants to stick their noses where they don't belong, that's why," he spoke roughly. She looked up, quick to realize the statement was meant to scold her. It didn't stop her from sitting across from him. "What do you have against me? I've hardly spoken to you since I stepped on this ship but you've already developed a grudge against me. C'mon, now. You're a decent guy, Jet. Can't you give me a reason why?" Jet sighed and turned off the television. "I don't have a good enough reason," he spoke in a sad, melancholy tone. "You seem like a nice enough person, Naomi. I'm sorry I haven't been the same to you." He took another slow breath before continuing. "My last partner belonged to a syndicate, also. His name was Spike Spiegel. Unfortunately, things didn't end too well for him. He owned that skinny bummed-up ship we sold your friend." "Oh."she nodded. "It put me a little on edge when I heard that you are a part of that same thing. I just didn't want to go through the same worry and pain that I had to go through with him again. Then, I put up this front so I wouldn't get close to either of you. Jesse's been pretty easy to avoid. He seems to be avoiding all of us." Naomi smiled. "But you're the type that likes to make friends wherever they go." "Better than enemies," she spoke up, grinning. He looked up. "I suppose I can't stay mean forever. Might as well be a friend of yours, too." "I'm glad. Let's play a card game, huh?"  
  
Faye had returned. A bandage covered the deep cut in her right shoulder and a few nicks on her back, near her neck. She walked stiffly and sorely to her room, passing the other rooms along the way. She paused at Jesse's door, the only one open. Glancing past the corner of the doorframe, she saw Jesse kneeled down in prayer in the shadows. He was saying something. She leaned in a little further. "Dear Father, please forgive me, I pray. I know that I have done wrong. I will repay my debt, even though I know there is no place in heaven for me. Amen." He crossed himself and Faye was gone. 


End file.
